TheHutt writes: Howard Shore's official tour program in Moscow began today with a fan meeting session. If a fan came at 4:30pm to the shop "Soyuz na Strastnom", he could easily get a "LotR Symphony" flyer with a nice hand-written signature "Howard Shore" on it. Apart from that, Shore readily signed other LotR articles and spoke to Russian fans, to their greatest joy. Here on Henneth-Annun.ru is a photo gallery of this event. [More]

Elril writes: The official site has put up a new video clip of Peter Jackson talking about the Extended Edition of Return of the King, as well as a promotional trailer for The Third Age by EA Games. [More]

The latest newsletter is ready to go! Do you want to receive our free weekly newsletter? Packed with tons of info to keep you up to date on the latest? Plus filled with exclusives from time to time! Join the crowd of over 21 900 mailing list members! Sign up now! [More]

Erwin sends along this fascinating link, he has been quietly and patiently examining the text on the walls in Moria, and translating them for all to read. It is not easy work, some shots last less than a second and the lighting conditions are not perfect for this type of work. Take a look at his work! [More]

Kelly writes: For many who are not aware, David Wenham is the Ambassador for The Wayside Chapel, in Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia. I have just been informed by the Marketing Director of The Wayside Chapel that they have just placed on Ebay a poster featuring the award winning portrait of David by Adam Cullen. The poster is signed by both David and Adam and if you look on Ebay you will see a photo of David next to the poster. David has also promised a personalized letter to the highest bidder and we hope this is something you might be interested in. [More]

It's not just teenage girls who think Aragorn is a dream come true, writes Bernard Zuel. They are professional women, usually: teachers, managers, lawyers, nurses and doctors. Mature certainly: mostly in their 30s and 40s and as often as not married, with children. They've got access to computers at home and work, are comfortable buying goods over the internet and have the income to spend. [More]

Sideshow Collectibles has just placed up for Pre-Order the 'Helm of a Battle Troll.' According to their site, this is the second largest metal helm to be released in the series. Check it out! [Click Here]

Emma sends along the November issue of Index Magazine featuring this article on Everything Is Illuminated. The film stars Elijah Wood in the adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's novel about a young Jewish American who endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during WWII in a Ukrainian village that was ultimately razed by the Nazis. [More]

We're happy to announce that Peter Tait (Shagrat in ROTK) has been added to our guest list for ORC, *January 14-16* at The Pasadena Center in Pasadena California. Here's where our celebrity guest list stands as of today, with more announcements to come!

Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Bruce Hopkins, John Rhys-Davies, Jorn Benzon (numerous roles in the films), Sandro Kopp (numerous roles in the films), Daniel Falconer (Senior Designer WETA WORKSHOP), Colleen Doran (Exceptional fantasy artist), Mike Foster (North American Representative of The Tolkien Society), Royd Tolkien, Charles Ross, Emerald Rose, & World Without Sundays. For complete up to date information on THE ONE RING CELEBRATION please visit oneringcelebration.com today! Good tickets and hotel rooms are
still available! [More]

Vineland High School South's Wizardry 101 club took the day off from blowing things up and melting things down to celebrate the 50th anniversary of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy with a Hobbit party. The event featured Shire-inspired snacks and activities, including a hunt for The One Ring, crossbow tournament and visit from Gandalf the Gray, otherwise known as Ed Ross, manager of the Booksmith in Cumberland Mall. [More]

NEW YORK - Arri has delivered an ArriScan film scanner to Weta Digital Ltd. in New Zealand. The studio had been evaluating various film scanning systems at their facility which was home to the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy. "After months of testing, we made the decision that the ArriScan will be our next generation film scanner," says Pete Williams, head of digital imaging at Weta Digital Ltd. [More]

LORD of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen left Middle Earth to go back to his roots in Wigan for a special occasion. The renowned classical actor who made a new name for himself in Hollywood playing grey-bearded wizard Gandalf in the blockbuster filmtrilogy, joined guests to unveil a mural at Wigan and Leigh Hospice in Hindley. [More]

(Variety) — MONTREAL -- The absence of a "Lord of the Rings" release dampened results in the third quarter for Alliance Atlantis' film distribution division. Revenue, cash flow and net earnings were all down in the quarter. The homevid releases of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" boosted numbers in the same quarter last year and last quarter respectively. [More]

"So began a battle that none had expected; and it was called the Battle of Five Armies, and it was very terrible." Tolkien builds his simple adventure tale to its final climax, and it proves to be a startling one. [More]

Tickets are available at the door for 'Christopher Lee - A Celebration in Film' at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Heathrow. Tickets are £30 at the door each day. [More]

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether it was putting a woman in a pair of pants for the first time on screen, illustrating a man's lack of an undershirt, or firmly planting shoulder pads in the American fashion scene, Costume Designers have been breaking barriers since the advent of film. In Hollywood, Premiere magazine and Hamilton watches salute nine costume designers for their impact on not only the film industry, but on American culture. The second annual Timeless Style Awards recognizes the contribution of nine costume designers whose body of work has influenced fashion around the world. The honorees include Ngila Dickson, Judianna Makovsky, Daniel Orlandi, Sophie de Rakoff, Alexandra Byrne, Ann Roth, Penny Rose, Colleen Atwood and Madeline Fontaine; many of them having already achieved the status of Academy Award winner or nominee.

Tiffany writes: I know WWS did a song for the Ringers: Lord of the Fans, so I wasn't sure if you could put this on your site. World Without Sundays is performing in a gig tonight (November 12th) at Chapman University. They will be performing a one hour set. Doors open at 10PM, and the concert starts at 10:30. World Without Sundays fans will get a discounted price of $5 (normal tickets are $7). [More]

If you have been lucky enough to miss those amazingly awful commercials announcing the release of 'Seed of Chucky' today, this will come as news to you. The 5th installment of the Brad Dourif-voiced Chucky series features his offspring, Glen, voiced by none other than Billy Boyd. Follow the link for showtimes and theatres in the US. [More]

Eleri writes: Internationally renowned Tolkien artist John Howe is the Artist Guest of Honor at Norwescon 28 in Seattle. Memberships are $50 until 12/31/04. [More]

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Veterans of Foreign Wars is holding an online auction to raise money for scholarships for the children and grandchildren of veterans, and the items up for grabs are a far cry from the usual gift baskets offered during fund-raisers...the auction has a Lord of the Rings DVD, autographed by Sean Astin, the actor who played Hobbit Samwise Gamgee, with bids at $100 on Wednesday. [More]

We have signed more guests for ORC (One Ring Celebration), our first Convention being held in Pasadena California, January 14th-16th. We recently added Jorn Benzon (actor), Sandro Kopp (actor), Daniel Falconer (Senior Designer at WETA WORKSHOP), Colleen Doran (fantasy artist), & Mike Foster (North American Representative of The Tolkien Society). They add themselves to an amazing lineup including; Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Bruce Hopkins, John Rhys-Davies, & Royd Tolkien (Great-grandson of JRR Tolkien). You can also see performances by Charles Ross ("One Man Lord of the Rings"), Emerald Rose, & World Without Sundays! Tickets on sale now!!! [ORC Official Website]

Sean Astin will once again be touring the US and one stop in London in the next few months. He is promoting his book "There and Back Again : An Actor's Tale". Follow the link for more information! [More]

If you have been following the progress of the Sideshow Collectibles Film Festival, you know that the winners were announced a few days ago. In fact, the top two entries featuring Lord of the Rings as their main theme. Check out the winners and drool over the Artist Proof Balrog statue that was awarded to first place! [Click Here]

Nomad from action-figure.com writes: Looks like theres still life in the line! Though JAKKS, who recently aquired Play Along, has been reluctant to tell us if they will continue with Lord of the Rings items, it seems the Art Asylum showroom had the answer. Check this round of pics for new items as it's all so blury to me at this point, I don't know what hasn't been seen yet! Round 2 will go up tomorrow. [More]

TheHutt writes: On Saturday, November 13th at 4:30pm, composer Howard Shore will have a public meeting with fans in Moscow. Shore will sign autographs and answer questions. This public meeting is part of the LotR Symphony Concert in Moscow, which will take place 17th and 18th November in the Kremlin Palace. The meeting will take place at the store "Soyuz na Strastnom" (Strastnoy Bulvar 8A, metro station "Chekhovskaya"/"Pushkinskaya") in Moscow.

The folks from Kevin Wallace Ltd write: Kevin Wallace, producer of the eagerly anticipated stage version of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, is the latest guest at the Balcony on the West End series of interviews at the Theatre Museum, London. Hosted by Paul Webb, the interview runs from 6 to 7pm on Friday November 12. There will be a question and answer session with the audience in the last 20 minutes, as well as an informal drink at the Theatre Museum's pay bar afterwards. November 12 will be a fascinating first-opportunity to hear about the creation of what promises to be 2005's mega musical. [More]

mallorn writes: New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ and NJ Symphony Orchestra join forces to present the NY Metropolitan Area premiere of The Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus, a multi-media extravaganza featuring music from the blockbuster big-screen trilogy, whose soundtrack recordings have sold over 4 million copies. [More]

Oscar-winning actress Patty Duke was released from the Kootenai Medical Center after undergoing single heart bypass surgery earlier this month. Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Johnson said Duke, 57, was released from the North Idaho Heart Center on Tuesday, six days after the Nov. 3 surgery. [More]

holbytla writes: I thought you'd like to know that I stumbled across a large new posting of LOTR items at the Noble Collection web site today, including King Elessar's crown; a new Fellowship necklace, ring and bracelet; a display case for the Evenstar necklace; a pewter sculpture of the battle between Gandalf and Saruman; King Theoden's sword; Denethor's ring; and much more. My Christmas wish list just grew by about a page! [More]

Pat writes: I just received this weekly email from the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. It's a beautiful Art Deco theater in a nice neighborhood in the southern part of the city. I've already responded, but I think there may be a lot of folks that may be interested that are not on their email list. [More]

JadeValour writes: Last year I was given the wonderful gift of being able to be in New Zealand for the ROTK World Premiere festivities (and at the Return of the Ringers Party). I am a singer/songwriter, and shortly before I came to NZ I wrote and recorded a demo of a song inspired by Elijah ("Elijah's Song") with my friend and fellow musician Ken Norris. I actually had the magical experience of meeting Elijah at the Los Angeles airport, as he was on the same Air New Zealand flight to Auckland. [More]

Emmie_Baggins_girl writes: Olssons.com listed Sean Astin's Washington, DC booksigning as cancelled (all it says is "canceled", it may or may not be rescheduled.) [More]

Before he became Middle Earth's reluctant king, Viggo Mortensen was a struggling actor with land near Sandpoint. In fact, he once was cast for the role of Biff Logan in "Death of a Salesman" at Sandpoint's Panida Theater. But had to turn the part down when he was picked to perform in Sean Penn's "The Indian Runner." Why am I telling you all this? The "Lord of the Rings" star is featured in a Q-and-A article by Marianne Love of Sandpoint Magazine. [More]

Ever wanted to stroke Asfaloth's nose or see a Ringwraith's horse rear up and strike out with his hooves? Some of the lead riders and horse wranglers from LOTR kept the horses from the films, and they've created a show where you can meet the LOTR horses and see them in action. [More]

“Lost” star Dominic Monaghan reports that he and his “Lord of the Rings’” homies, er hobbits, are creating their own off-screen fellowship. “Elijah Wood and I are working on starting up a T-shirt company,” says Monaghan. “We’re just big fans of clothes so we want to do certain designs of clothes we wish were out there, with text we’d like to see on T-shirts. We’re in the midst of putting together designs now.” Monaghan says he’s also collaborating with Billy Boyd, who played Pippin in the “LOTR” sagas. “Billy and I are in the midst of writing and doctoring a couple of scripts.” [More]

Leandro writes: This past weekend Howard Shore's LOTR Symphony was been in Sevilla, Spain. Friday and Saturday concerts became an incredible success for Shore, Sissel and the whole Orchestra. Dozens of fans, with tears in their eyes, were delighted with the music that took them all to Middle-Earth for two hours. Howard Shore was terribly kind to sign and to talk to fans until 1 a.m.! [More]

On Sunday, the staff at TORn's Hall of Fire were delighted to host a special live chat with author and Tolkien scholar Dr Anne Petty. Dr Petty chatted for more than an hour, answering questions about Tolkien as a myth-based writer, as well as ideas for those writing their own mythopoeic fiction. [More]

'The Miracle Worker' star Patty Duke was up and walking on Friday, just two days after cardiac surgery. The Oscar-winning actress, mother of LOTR star Sean Astin, has been upgraded to good condition, says Teri Farr, spokeswoman for Idaho's Kootenai Medical Center. [More]